You can say what you will about Windows Phone and Windows 8's Metro interface (I refuse to drop that name) - it's inefficient, unpopular, cumbersome, beautiful, ugly, organised, clean, limiting - but there's one thing we can all agree on: it's unique and distinctive. CNet has published a profile of Microsoft's Albert Shum, the man behind Metro, and he highlights what I think is at the very core of Microsoft's problems in mobile right now.

Shum states that in order for Windows Phone to succeed, it can't just create a slightly better version of what the competition has to offer.

Problem is, Windows Phone is not better than Android/iOS in many regards. Technologically it is lagging behind. How long did it take to implement Copy&Paste? Multitasking? NFC? Wi-Fi Tethering? VPN?

Microsoft must close the technological gap to become interesting. But instead it seems to widen. Trends are missed almost entirely, like this year's 1080p screen craze. We are now promised 1080p screens towards the end of the year, when it's almost time for CES and MWC again. Did you note how all mobile innovation at MWC was presented on Android phones this year?

And this is even before the Modern/Metro UI comes into play. Consumers hate it, and are turning away from Windows 8 in droves. Windows 8 is better than Windows 7 on a technical level (boots faster, uses less memory, etc.), yet is off to a worse start than Vista according to many observers

Problem is, Windows Phone is not better than Android/iOS in many regards. Technologically it is lagging behind. How long did it take to implement Copy&Paste? Multitasking? NFC? Wi-Fi Tethering? VPN?

Did it take?
In reality, multitasking as implemented in WP is useless as such, therefore not implemented. Two cases: * Skype/Facebook chat messages sent to me don't arrive for hours sometime. And when my chats from the PC version of Skype or the Fb webpage eventually sync then the message order is more often than not way off (first all of my messages from the unsynced period, then all of the replys)

* Sports Tracker can ONLY track your activities when on the foreground and the phone is not locked. USELESS. I've been spamming here and there lately about stuff that an E52 with the dreaded Symbian COULD do...well...that.

So, in general, I agree with your sentiment, furthermore, I think you've been a bit too kind on them - one of the biggest tech companies in the world with loads of developers and supporting staff...and THIS is what they've come up with after all this time??